SBS has secured one of Australian television’s most respected commercial executives, with Nine’s Nikki Rooke appointed as the broadcaster’s new Chief Commercial Officer.
The high profile appointment comes alongside the permanent promotion of Uma Oldham to Director of Marketing and Audiences, marking a significant refresh of SBS’s executive leadership team.
Rooke will join SBS later this year after four years at Nine, where she currently serves as National Sales Director, Total Television, leading the broadcaster’s national television sales business across metropolitan and regional markets and BVOD.
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She previously served as Sydney Sales Director and brings more than two decades of senior commercial leadership experience spanning Nine, Seven West Media and Southern Cross Austereo.
Uma Oldham has been permanently appointed SBS Director of Marketing and Audiences (image – SBS)
Oldham (pictured above) officially steps into the Director of Marketing and Audiences role after serving in the position on an acting basis since September 2025.
Since joining SBS in 2017, she has helped drive the growth of SBS On Demand, strengthen the SBS brand and connect more Australians with the broadcaster’s distinctive content and services.
SBS Managing Director Jane Palfreyman said Rooke’s commercial leadership and Oldham’s audience expertise would help ensure SBS remains strong and relevant as the media landscape continues to evolve.
“Together, Nikki and Uma will help ensure SBS remains relevant, accessible and trusted at a time when impartial news, information and diverse perspectives have never been more important.”
Rooke said joining the SBS executive team was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up, describing it as a pivotal moment for the Australian media landscape.
“The opportunity to be part of the Executive team at SBS at such a pivotal moment for the Australian media landscape was one I simply had to take.”
Oldham said she was excited to officially take on the role after almost a year in an acting capacity, with a focus on connecting more Australians with SBS’s distinctive content and services.
“I’m thrilled to lead Marketing and Audiences at SBS and work alongside the talented teams to connect more Australians with the content, stories and services that make SBS unique.”
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Palfreyman also acknowledged Acting Director of Media Sales Lee Fifoot, who will remain in the role until Rooke commences later this year after leading SBS’s commercial team through challenging market conditions, including the broadcaster’s recent FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign.
Rooke will commence as SBS Chief Commercial Officer later this year.
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